Pokemon: The Original Shipping
by PunsIntended
Summary: Seven years after the events of Pokémon Red and Blue, two old rivals meet face to face once again, not for battle, but by stoke of fate. When past and secret feelings for one another begin to surface on their short journey together, will they make the time they have left together, before going on their separate paths, count? Or will their Rash and Timid natures keep them apart?
1. Chapter 1

I. After Defeat

"No! That can't be! You beat my best! After all that work to become League Champ? My reign is over already? It's not fair!"

In less than a day, I had risen to the top only to come crumbling down. Everything I had worked for was now in ruins before my eyes.

"Why? Why did I lose? I never made any mistakes raising my Pokémon…"

As much as I refused to believe it, that didn't change the fact I had lost to such a pathetic trainer, a trainer who had never even shown half of the potential that I did. He'd just gotten lucky, but still I had to suck it up and go down with some dignity, making sure to never show just how crushed I really was about this.

"Darn it!" Looking up at the illuminating, reinforced ceiling of the Champion Room, I refused to face that wide-eyed twerp jumping up with excitement in front of me. "You're the new Pokémon League champion! Although I don't like to admit it."

Before I knew it, gramps showed up, late like always. Kicking me while I was down, he congratulated Red, only after lecturing me and before walking away with him into the Pokémon Hall of Fame. As Red walked passed me though, our eyes met for a brief moment and I saw sympathy, but also sincerity in them. It was like looking at an entirely different person. Something about him was different now, in my eyes, but I tried not to make anything of it, and it wouldn't be too hard to do either seeing as how it would be the last time we would see each other in a long time.

Sometime after my embarrassing defeat at the Indigo League, I received a promising call from Viridian City, an offer to become the city's new Gym Leader. The position was currently vacant and they wanted to make sure they kept the reputation for owning the toughest Gym in Kanto. Naturally, they ask me to fill in, and it was for that reason only that I accepted it.

Years went by and I easily proved I was up to the challenge, defeating trainer after trainer, only occasionally being bested by someone who got lucky. My skills and knowledge of Pokémon and battling were continuously tested, but it soon became clear that there was only so much I could get out from this job. Battle after battle, win or lose, there was always something missing.

Whenever the chance came up, I took it upon myself to leave the Gym and travel around the region to train, explore or simply relax, hoping to find what I was missing. It became apparent that being Gym Leader wasn't going to cut it anymore, no matter how good I was at it. It was time for a new challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

With the last of my things loaded off the truck, I closed the back door and made my way up to the front to thank Primo, a friend who had volunteered to help me move my stuff back to Pallet Town.

"Sure you got everythin' Blue?" The guy with long sideburns, wearing a tight muscle shirt, asked. "Sure you don't need help taking things inside your sister's place?"

"No thanks, Poke Dude. I got it covered." A shrug signaled the six Pokémon I had with me to start moving the larger and heavier boxes into the garage.

"Kay then, Blue. I guess this is goodbye then. You take care now, and if you ever need anything," he took a quick second to smirk and wink at me, "just call."

"Sure thing…" I replied, ignoring his cheesy move on me. "Tell your gramps thanks for me. Smell ya later!"

As the truck turned right, up towards Route 1, my older sis stepped out of her small home with a cup of Tea and a glass of Lemonade.

"Blue! Blue!" She cried out, taking a seat at the small table set up on her porch. "Come! Why don't you all take a break?"

It seemed like a decent time for a break, and so I joined my sis on the porch.

"So…" Daisy began to ask, gently blowing on her Tea, "who was that muscly guy who brought your thing here?"

"What does it matter to you?" The Lemonade was cool and refreshing, but not enough to get me to start opening up about my personal life to my sis. "He's just a friend."

"Just a friend?" She giggled and rolled her eyes, waiting for me to understand what she meant and react. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Just a friend, Daisy!" And like that, I walked right into her trap. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"Oh, no reason…" she continued to giggle, just to Spite me. "Lighten up, little bro. I'm only teasing. But you have to admit, you can't blame me. It's not like you've ever introduced me to one of your girlfriends or anything. In fact, as far as I know, you've never had one. So what do you expect me to think?"

"Ugh! Whatever, Daisy. I've been too busy for a girlfriend, as if that's any of your concern. You think being the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto is walk in the tall grass."

"Really? Because I hear all the time about how you're hardly ever at your Gym anymore. I have no idea where you go, what you do or who you're with when you're not there. For all I know…"

This conversation would stop there. My Glare wasn't enough to paralyze her, but managed to get her to back off. Gulping down the rest of the Lemonade, I rushed back to work, to clear my head, which had become clouded.

Back in the garage, my Pokémon and I organized my junk to fit neatly inside. It wasn't long, however, before Daisy finished her Tea and made her way to "try" and help put the rest of the stuff away.

"What stuff are you going to keep up in your room?" I pointed to some smaller boxes next to me, and as she began going through them, then she stopped when she found a box full of old books and magazines. "Is this an old _Pokémon Journal_?"

I looked over to see what was stalling her only to find her skimming through the old magazine I had decided to keep with me all these years.

"Hey, I remember this issue! It was all about Red's defeat on Mt. Silver…"

_RING! RING!_

Then I stopped to answer my phone.

"It's Gramps!"


	3. Chapter 3

III. Gramp's Lab

There was no need to rush over there. I was in no hurry to get to Gramp's Lab, and it wasn't like he'd never arrived late to anything himself before either. Taking my time also meant less time spent around Daisy. I loved my sis, but she was just so annoying.

_Wow, things really have changed around here, haven't they_? I thought to myself, looking around at the new neighborhood on my way through some of the freshly paved streets in Pallet.

I had been gone from home longer than I had thought. The once small and quiet farming town had sprawled into a massive suburban area. There used to only be a couple houses every here and there, all separated by fields and prairies. Now, there were houses stretching from Route 1 to Gramp's Lab, which was still located at the southern edge of the town.

_Things really have changed, except for one thing…_

As much as I hated to admit it, Daisy made a good point, which got me thinking. _A girlfriend? Had the thought ever crossed my mind at all before? _I knew the real reason wasn't because I was too busy, not that anybody else needed to know that. The answer was obvious, but it just wasn't the time.

"Hmph. Like there are even any girls that seem interested in me right now anyways."

Barging through the green metal door of the large, yellow-brick building, I let myself inside the Lab without much thought to it.

"Gramps, I'm—"

Thanks to my careless and loud intrusion, I bumped into a girl, about my age, nearly dropping her to the ground. It also seemed as if I had frightened her because she stood completely still, covering the lower half of her pink face with a clipboard, without saying a word. The white lab coat she wore told me she was probably just another one of Gramps aides, not one I was familiar with though.

"Ah, Blue! You're here." Gramps walked in, and placing a metal try with three small Poke Balls on the table, he made his way over to greet me. "It's good to see you're doing well."

"Of course I am." I replied, noticing that his aide was still staring at me, still frozen in place, red in the face.

"Oh, Blue! This is my new assistant, Daphne White. Daphne, you of course already know my grandson, Blue."

_She does?_

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She hesitantly began to speak. "Hello, nice to meet you."

"Uh, nice to meet you too." I told her, just trying to be polite. Thankfully Gramps also sensed the awkwardness looming around us, chuckling to himself before moving things along.

"Come on Blue, we have a lot to talk about."

…

"Are you sure you'll remember all this, and that you won't forget?" Gramps asked me for the billionth time.

"Don't worry about it, Gramps." It wasn't Team Rocket science, granted it was a lot to keep track of.

"So I'll have all the equipment ready and loaded on the truck by tomorrow morning. Once you get to the port on Route 21, take the ferry down to New Cinnabar Island. Deliver everything, unharmed, to the new Pokemon Lab. You should be able to find Blaine there, explain to him how to set up the equipment like I showed you, and then you should be all set to go."

"Blaine? The Gym Leader?"

"Why yes. He's in charge of the construction and development of the new lab." Gramps turned towards me, handing me back one of six Poke Balls from his Pokémon Scanner, "are you sure you only want to take one Pokémon with you?"

Taking one last look at the other five, I let out a low sigh.

"Yes. I'm not going to another region to compete in battles, thought it would be a piece of cake. I'm going to study. Just one will do. The rest will be fine here with you."

"That's very wise and mature of you, Blue. I'm most impressed, and so proud." Gramps congratulated me.

"Well, I should probably get going. I still have to figure out what to pack and what else to leave behind."

"Well, good luck with that, and be sure the both you and your sister stop by my house later for dinner."

"Sure thing, Gramps. Smell ya later!"


	4. Chapter 4

IV. A Long Time

You just don't know how much you love something until you lose it, or go a long time without it. I had forgotten just how good food could be, and Gramp's cooking was the best by far. Because I never had time to waste learning to cook, I usually just ate at restaurants or something. Viridian City had many decent establishments, but none that served food better than Gramps. Daisy had never been the best cook either, so even back then, before I was on my own, Gramp's food was a blessing.

Normally, I would have waited for everyone to be served before eating, but I couldn't help myself. There also seemed to be an extra dish and silverware out for somebody who hadn't even arrived yet, despite the food being hot and ready.

"Who's coming?" I asked out loud, trying not to talk with my mouth full.

"Oh, I've invited a special guest to dine with us, if you two don't mind." Gramps replied, bringing out more food from the kitchen.

"Not at all, especially if it's that new aide of yours grandfather," Daisy giggled, nudging my shoulder for some reason. "Blue, have you met grandfather's new aide?"

"As a matter of fact," Gramps replied, taking a seat at the table, "he has."

"Who? The Daphne chick?" I asked, completely out of the loop.

"So what do you think, Blue?" Daisy continued giggling in her seat.

"Think of what?" I asked, just wanting to enjoy a meal without Daisy annoying me.

"You know, Blue, Daphne's got quite a little crush on you." Gramps explained.

Leave it to him to put something like that so straight forward. Suddenly I was choking on the food I had been drooling over just a moment ago.

"Oh, the two of you would look so cute together!" Daisy cried out, hugging me tight and imagining the whole thing in her head. "So, is Daphne coming over this evening?"

"Unfortunately, no." Gramps replied, which was actually pretty fortunate for me. "She was busy this evening, I'm afraid. Though I'm sure that would have made for an _even more_ interesting evening."

"What a shame." Daisy nudged me on my shoulder again. "Come on, tell me. What did you think of her?"

"What do you mean, 'what did I think of her?'" I was beginning to raise my voice, for some reason. "What does it matter, anyways? I'm leaving tomorrow!"

Both Daisy and Gramps said nothing and stared back at me with blank expressions. For a second there, I thought it had been something I had said, so I stopped to think about what it could be. Distracted by my own confusion, I was caught off guard when I suddenly felt two hands fall heavily onto my shoulders, feeling a stranger's warm breath by my right ear before hearing him say in a ghoulish voice, "GET OUT! LEAVE THIS PLACE!" That's the only reason it caused me to leap out of my seat the way it did.

After snapping out of a small flashback from when I was a kid, I realized who the twerp who had frightened me really was. I got up, without a word, and sat back in my seat. I couldn't make eye contact. I couldn't even face in his direction. I just stared down at my half-empty plate as he made his way around me to greet Gramps.

"Red? How'd you get in?" Gramps stood up to welcome him.

"I was going to knock before coming inside, but then I heard Blue yelling and decided to sneak in and scare my old friend, for old time sake."

"Red! It's so good to see you!" Now Daisy stood up to greet him, running over towards him and giving him a huge hug as if she really knew him. "Why, I haven't seen you since you borrowed that map from me."

Gramps and Daisy both seemed so glad to see Red again. _How do I feel about seeing him again?_

"Blue," Red said, taking the seat next to me, "I can't believe it's been such a long time since we've seen each other."


	5. Chapter 5

V. Another Surprise

Of all the people in the Pokémon World, why did Red have to be the one to show up tonight, of all nights. And what did he mean when he said I was his "old friend"? We were rivals. That would never change. I couldn't even listen to him, as he went on and on about his many adventures traveling to different regions, encountering and capturing different Pokémon. Gramps and Daisy were fine, eating that stuff up, but I wasn't. Suddenly, I had lost my appetite, and whatever food was left in my plate was getting cold than an Icy Wind.

I knew I had to stop being so pouty about the whole thing, at least on the outside, but I couldn't help myself. There was just something about being around Red again that was so aggravating, so annoying, that just made me go crazy.

"It was a bit of an embarrassing defeat, I'll admit." Red continued talking. "But the kid did show a lot of potential. I'm just glad we were both able to climb back down Mt. Silver without getting lost or Frozen."

"Wow, Red, that's so impressive. Did you hear that Blue," Daisy tossed a grain of rice from her plate at me. "Red seems to have been doing real well on his own, wouldn't you agree."

She was only trying to push me to the edge, and it worked.

"Yeah, doesn't sound _that _great to me." I stupidly replied, sounding like a pathetic myself.

"I'm sure you've got your own adventures to share Blue." Red politely tried to help me out, which only ticked me off even more. "I'm sure you've traveled a lot too."

"Not really," I hated to admit, "but then again, it's real difficult to travel when you're running a Gym."

"Liar! Liar!" Daisy shouted out, giving me reason to throw bits of my own food at her.

"Knock it off you two." Gramps got us to stop. "Now Red, I was wondering if you've made up your mind about what were discussing earlier."

"Sure have, Professor. I'd be happy to help anyway I can!"

What were they talking about now? A gut feeling told me I should listen to what they were saying.

"That's great! Well then, Blue, I guess I have another little surprise for you." No, he had to be joking. "Red will be accompanying you on your trip to New Cinnabar Island tomorrow."

"WHAT?! WHY?" He wasn't actually being serious, was he? When had I agreed to this?

"Fantastic!" Daisy cheered at my despair. "Now you can look after my little bro, Red, and make sure he makes it there in one piece for me."

"Shut it, Daisy." I had just about enough. "What do you mean Red's coming with me, Gramps?"

"Red was planning on heading down to New Cinnabar Island too, so I asked him if he could help out at the new Pokémon Lab." Gramps explained the mastermind behind this mistake. "I've already talked to Blaine about it and everything."

"Yeah, sorry about telling you at the last minute," Red dared apologize to me. "I was actually just planning on going there for a vacation. It seemed like the perfect place to do it, close to home, but still by a sandy, white beach and resort. Then Professor Oak mentioned the new lab when we were talking earlier, and thought it would be neat to help out, if I could."

"Okay fine, but why do you have to travel with me?"

"Oh don't be so rude," Daisy butted in, as if she knew what this meant to me.

"It was my idea Blue," Gramps admitted, hoping to take some of the heat off of Red. "I thought it would be a good idea. You know, to have someone there to keep you company."

"Red, can't you just Fly there on your own or something?" Now I was being rude.

"Well yeah, I guess so. But I was also sort of hoping to give my Pokémon a break too, and leaving them here with Professor Oak. They deserve a good vacation too, and Charizard is actually still pretty tired after flying all the way here from—"

"Ugh! Whatever." I was done arguing.

Why was I over reacting like this, like it was really that big of a deal? My fists were shaking with nervous tension. We may have been rivals, but I didn't actually hate him that much, did I? So why get all worked up about traveling alone with him?


	6. Chapter 6

VI. Blue is confused!

While Daisy was busy helping Gramps with the dishes, probably just chatting away like she always did, I waited for her outside on the porch. This night was nothing like I had expected. I for sure didn't expect Red to come popping in. My last night in Kanto, my last night home, was now ruined, all thanks to Red. Honestly, it was probably a little bit of my fault too, but Red had been the one who started it. He was the one causing it.

Now I had to put up with that twerp a little longer, only a bit longer, but more than I had bargained for. Wasn't it bad enough that I hadn't seen him for so long after he left? Now I was suddenly going to travel with him, all alone just the two of us, at least for a short while before it was my turn to leave. Wait, what?

My mind didn't seem to be thinking straight. The problem wasn't missing him, it was seeing him again. It was messing with my head, because he was the one who had crushed my dreams all those years ago, not because I missed him. Wait, what the hell was I thinking to myself?

Tapping the side of my head to clear my thoughts, I began hurting myself in my confusion. Thanks to Red, it was what he was best at.

"Blue?"

I snapped out of confusion, to see what the twerp wanted this time.

"I just wanted to let you know, I'm really sorry about all this," he began his sincere apology to me. "If it really means that much to you, I could find my own way to Cinnabar…"

"Wait no," I blurted out, buying right into it. "Ugh, what I mean is… feel free to tag along, if you want. It's really not that big of a deal. I was just not expecting it is all."

"Good to hear you say that. Then I guess you won't mind if I do tag along with you tomorrow." He smiled and joined me, leaning against the railing next to me. "I really could use a break from surfing, flying and traveling on foot all the time. My Running Shoes are all worn out now."

"What happened to your bike?" I asked, making conversation, not trying to look at his face directly for some reason.

"Oh, that old thing," he laughed. "I left that thing back home when I left. Thought I wouldn't miss it. Boy was I wrong."

And there he was again, talking about his amazing journey, only rubbing everything I had missed right to my face. But he seemed to quickly pick up on my discomfort, finding a way to change the subject and focus on talking about me instead.

"So I hear you're going to study abroad." Why was he being so kind? "Professor Oak told me all about it, and to tell you the truth, I didn't know you were really all that into learning about Pokémon science. What made you want to do it, if I may ask that is?"

It was none of Gramps business telling Red about my plans, but the interest in Red's face got to me. It was true that my decision had seemed to come out of nowhere, and Red was one of the few that actually seemed to care why. Not even Daisy had really asked me why, she had just gone with it.

"Of course you wouldn't have known, before you left I was busy training and battling. Then I was busy running a Gym. I've only recently made the decision to leave this place and learn about that stuff." I explained, recapping the basics.

"Really? What stuff, exactly? What are you planning on studying?"

"Well…" Why was I getting so nervous? "I was thinking about studying Pokémon Genetics, but… I'm not entirely sure yet."

"Hmm? Professor Blue Oak. Has a nice ring to it."

My animosity towards the twerp suddenly vanished, and it occurred to me, had we ever had a decent conversation like this before? I guess I was always so busy looking down on him, that I had never really given him the chance to talk.

Just as all was going well, Daisy was getting ready to come out the door. I could hear her saying goodbye to Gramps already.

"Looks like I'm about to go," I told Red, heading out myself. "Make sure you're at Gramps' Lab first thing in the morning."

"Don't worry about me, Blue. I'll be there on time." I started making my way out the fence when Red cried out behind me. "Hey Blue, smell ya later!"


End file.
